Chương 260: Don't people say that size doesn't matter?

"Good. Again," Kite said, one of his spectral arms punctuating his words by throwing a pebble towards his poor target, carefully moderating the force to be fast enough to be a challenge and bruise should it hit, but not enough to be a true danger. Repeating the practiced motion, Scythe managed to once again extend the barrier which expanded outward from his shield fast enough, the angle making the pebble ricochet off into the distance instead of thudding into already bruised flesh.

"As you see," Kite continued, but surprised the iron-ranker with yet another pebble mid-sentence which ended in a hiss of pain as he was just a bit too surprised to act.

"footwork remains key, but so does vigilance. While I apologize for the pain, at least somewhat real stakes have helped me take lessons to heart in the past. Or at least, the man who taught me some of these barrier tricks is now a gold-ranker, so apparently he's doing something right."

"I… thank you for the lesson, Teacher," Scythe managed eventually, bowing in Kite's direction after a few seconds of wariness in case Kite pulled a similar stunt again.

"You have already given us such an opportunity with the guild… Taking the time to teach me is more than I deserve."

"The two of you have passed the entrance exam and are now junior members of the guild, holding your own during contracts, Scythe. The work and effort you've put into this is what has made the true difference. As for me teaching you… Well, the tradition of taking on students and disciples is one of our kingdom's more sympathetic traditions in my opinion, and one that I'll gladly continue. Our paths have some similarities, after all, and you have already taken to it quite well."

The last part was, of course, referring to Scythe's path. With around half of their awakening stones absorbed, the shield, earth and boundary confluences had already brought the man a set of different kinds of wall and barrier powers. And while Kite was of little use in helping Grain to better fling magical bolts or deploy his adaptable summons - another result of his gate confluence - barriers and using them to restrict enemy movements and attacks while also protecting yourself and your allies?

That was something with which Kite was quite an old hand by now.

"Then while my brother nurses his wounds and meditates upon your teachings, perhaps this lowly one might at least bother Senior Brother with a quick spar?" a voice called from the sidelines. So, perhaps Kite wasn't completely beyond lending some pointers to the other brother of the duo after all, Grain being surprisingly eager as he brought out his staff even though a spar with even a well-meaning silver would never end with anything but bruises for him too.

"Of course. Have you been practicing your stances?" Kite asked, letting his spectral arms disappear as he retrieved a practice staff while walking out to meet the man.

"Ask Scythe. He's the one so keen on always pushing me off balance," Grain grumbled. Still, he came at Kite with a decent leading strike that fully utilized the reach of his long weapon, made even longer as a glowing half-moon blade of shimmering energies manifested around the end of the casting implement to turn it into a short halberd. That Grain had received the widely known power Tools of the Magister from his magic essence hadn't been much of a surprise.

But when another awakening stone had let him start conjuring blades of magic to supplement the wands and staves he wielded, turning them into swords and halberds to utilize the small number of special attacks his path had produced too, Kite and the guild had been forced to do a proper reevaluation of where Grain's path was taking him as it was clearly not only growing into that of a ranged caster.

Kite even felt a bit envious of the versatility as they exchanged a few strikes - his carefully moderated, of course - only for Grain to suddenly fire a bolt of magic from the staff during what was ostensibly an opening after a swing.

"Hah! How about that? I came up with- ouchouchouch!" The triumphant revelation turned into hissing pain as the slight distraction of his own words had let Kite rap Grain across the knuckles in a stinging repeat of what he had often suffered at the hands of Phiona back in the day.

"A good move, one that you should definitely work on incorporating into your path," Kite said, unable not to smile at how Grain's enthusiasm seemed to quickly overshadow the pain.

"But perhaps wait with the triumphant evaluation until after the clash is over?"

"Senior- ouch, that hurts… Senior Brother is ever wise. Perhaps another go to let me correct my mistakes?"

"Another day, I think. Because I wouldn't want to keep your companion waiting." The protest died on Grain's lips as he turned and followed Kite's gaze to where Snowfall Fawn waited timidly outside the practice yard, the easily recognizable scroll of a contract in her hands. Kite had been pleased when Uncle Walker had told him of the trio sticking together after their evaluation, with Fawn neatly adding healing, utility and both offensive and supportive casting into the mix that was the two brothers.

"I believe… I believe that you are right, Senior Brother," Grain eventually said after a moment of stunned admiration of the freckled elven woman that Kite politely pretended not to notice.

"Come, Scythe. We have to work hard if we are to afford you that awakening stone of retaliation any time soon." He was about to leave when he remembered himself, turning to Kite and bowing.

"Thank you for the pointers, Senior Brother. And good luck with your own contract. You are soon leaving for one too, no?"

"I am. May the heavens keep you," Kite said, letting the trio of iron-rankers head out as he murmured softly to himself.

"Although with the nature of mine, I find myself envying you once more." While Kite found that the crisp air of the Autumn Lands to the north was unmatched during the season that gave the region its name, he was forced to admit that the western mountains of the kingdom in the regions close to the heartlands were a close second as he sat perched in a tree among the rust-colored foliage.

While his homeland had a greater variety of coloration to the leaves, the higher magical density of the region led to the leaves carrying a distinct shimmer that was most pleasing to look at, especially in contrast to the white churn of the nearby rapids; part of one of the many rivers feeding into Hua-Xi proper from the west. The region was called the Thousand Rivers, the many waterways having carved their way through the mountains over eons.

This led to many thoroughfares for trade and the like on the main, calmer and more well-patrolled waterways that gave easy access to the most affluent parts of Hua-Xi. And in their shadows, the smaller and more ferocious streams were left open to an entirely different clientele.

"They come," River's voice suddenly stated from a lower branch of the great tree that currently served as Kite's vantage. He himself felt nothing, but at his side Amica nodded in confirmation.

"She's right. And… Damn, there's a lot of… Something there. Undead."

"Huh. Well, I suppose that their resilience might help them navigate these rapids," Kite reasoned.

"How far?"

"Around a minute. Times like these make me wish I had a summon or something to make use of the time- oh crap."

"What?"

"There's… quite a lot of them. Not the essence-users. The other things. We're outnumbered, and not by a little."

"Enough for us to hold and observe?"

"Nonsense. They are weaklings," River countered, the numbers apparently not coming as a surprise.

"We strike."

"Is that really for you to decide, Bright Day," Amica countered, specifically pointing out River's alter ego with the Adventure Society who was an auxiliary scout and information gatherer.

"Do not test me, lashed one. This is our fight, and you are the outsider here." While there was definitely tension, especially at River calling Amica something reminding her of a very unpleasant part of her life, both women fortunately left it at that as neither got a complete rise out of the other. But this did leave it to Kite to step in as a mediator. Again.

"If the two of you could consider saving the barbs for our victory toast and actually make preparations, I am sure that it will be a lot more productive," he remarked evenly, with Amica at least giving the sense of being slightly abashed.

"The information leading us here was vague in the first place, so we should praise Fortune for it leading to anything at all." By now, Kite could also feel the group of auras coming closer along the river, even though he lacked the fine control to make out as much detail as his two companions.

"Can you give me an accurate count?"

"One essence user, a dozen lesser silver-ranked beings reeking of undeath. Wait, thirteen. One is a bit different from the rest. Not stronger though. Just different," River said. Kite thought it over for a while, before he eventually came to a decision.

"With Glint in place, I say that we make the attempt. She will allow us a swift avenue of retreat if it proves too much or something unexpected happens. But we really need to tear at every loose thread we can find in the tapestry our foes are preparing. Little Crow and his clan are growing frustrated at how well our foes can keep their operations from us. Are the two of you with me?"

"I am," Amica soon replied, with River only shrugging.

"I would have gone even without you."

"Then may Fortune preserve us," Kite said, trying and failing not to slightly roll his eyes with a helpless smile at River's usual… Riverness, as Wander had started calling it. Then their target came into view, or at least would have if not for the thick bank of mist that stretched out to cover the river before it. Kite let any other distractions wash away as his mind focused in a way that made his surroundings grow sharp and clear as his mind took in every rustling leaf and shining droplet splashing up from below.

His attempts at peering through the obscuration still failed though, but in this case the fourth of their number was in an excellent position to assist.

"Glint, if you'd please?" A small surge of mana came from somewhere beneath the waters, causing the mists to churn and writhe before the vapor was then forcefully scattered as if by a wind that was not there as Glint's powers of water control found purchase. This left the bizarre vessel that came careening down the rapids towards them in a flurry of flailing limbs in plain view, though even Kite's silver-ranked mind had trouble comprehending what he was seeing.

It was as if a barge had been constructed entirely out of bone and some kind of dark bladders that kept it afloat. Said barge was very much alive - or at least animated - as it sported several limbs from each side that constantly reached out to grab rocks or the riverbed to stabilize itself as the stream carried it along, making it look a bit like a quite drunk centipede trying to swim. Atop its deck, Kite saw several stacks of covered crates held in place by other skeletal appendages.

But, most importantly, he also saw the dozen humanoids of seemingly calcified bone that rose from previously still and crouching positions as pale flames winked to life inside their eye-sockets. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"These again," he murmured, memories from iron-rank crashing back. He had seen similar undead constructs a few times before, both before and during the war with the fallen sect. Coincidence or not though, he was also about to have his own opportunity to personally tangle with the creatures whose silver rank had seemed so titanic back in the day whereas he could now feel the flimsiness of their hollow spirits.

Even so, there were indeed a dozen of them as well as a pale man with a horrid cloak of writhing flesh who had also started readying himself for battle as the sudden disappearance of the vessel's shroud was quite the giveaway. However, he had probably not expected the river itself to suddenly rise and grab the vessel like a clawed hand closing in around it while a serpentine dragon clad in jewels suddenly burst from beneath the waters to close her fangs around the front of the unliving barge.

The undead sprung into action to defend the vessel with bone claws and jagged blades that formed in their hands, but this was also when Kite, Amica and River made their own opening moves.

Four of the lead undead were suddenly flung to the side and off the boat as if hit by a landslide as Amica's telekinetic shove broke their charge towards Glint while the rest found themselves having to crash through several layers of force walls that bought enough time for Kite to interpose himself between the attackers and his bond while a shimmering copy of him formed like a second shadow behind him.

Meanwhile, the man with the grotesque cloak had started forwards when jagged chains suddenly snuck over the railing from behind him, dragging him off with a yell quickly swallowed by the churning waters. Most who met such a fate at River's hand would not emerge again, but this foe proved one of the exceptions as he soon exploded out of the waters.

This was not due to some mighty leap or the like, but due to the fact that his form had swelled to gargantuan proportions in an instant as the rotten, horrid flesh of his cloak had enveloped his whole body that left him a towering giant of foul putrefaction. While that might have been enough of a threat in and of itself, the man-turned monstrosity then conjured a sword of pale, burning flames with which to strike at the flickering form of his attacker as River dodged and weaved while running along her chains.

"Well, looks like River has her work cut out for her," Kite thought as his staff impacted the side of the first undead coming at him, the silky black liquid that filled up the insides of its calcified bone frame splattering the deck at the twice-echoed impact, while a pair of barriers intercepted two additional milky-white blades that came for him as more attempted to flank him at the fore of the barge.

Undeterred, the pair kept moving as if to strike again but were interrupted as Kite channeled a surge of mana to use the barrier to push them off the side of the vessel. For silver-ranked beings, this was only a slight inconvenience, but it somewhat alleviated the pressure of the foes that did outnumber the adventurers even while limited to the deck of the barge.

And as more took their place, Kite found a kind of rhythm of using his barriers to limit the movements of his foes while using his staff and occasional attack from his mantle to let Void-Sunders-Firmament carve through the undead's bony frames. While this worked quite well against the direct and rather simplistic minds of the creatures, it also served to drive home something which Kite had only become more and more aware of as he progressed through silver; he was getting slow.

Not in his progression or how his skills were developing, but when it came to fighting many kinds of monsters, the limited number of directly damaging powers of Kite's path was making itself known. What had not been a problem during iron rank and only noticed against hordes in bronze had now been something he noticed against most monsters of his own rank.

Even while silver-rank did offer more for his dispelling powers to work with, the powers and abilities of the monsters were still too few to give Kite's path the edge he had against an essence-user who usually relied a lot more on those magics.

As such, he was left to more and more fight a battle of attrition while zoning his opponents and building up what momentum he could where Undeniable - his passive power adding an instance of transcendent damage to many of his attacks - had become an even more important pillar of his path when fighting these kinds of monsters.

"Good thing that I at least have some help," Kite thought to himself as Sage helped quicken the process with the occasional, powerful beam of resonating force.

"But it might be time to ask Peony for a commission or three again." So Kite was left acting the defensive anvil to Amica's hammer, the telekineticist not having similar problems with her crushing and rending force attacks that kept the undead scattered and losing parts of their frames left and right. But in that moment, there was something to the experience that resonated with Kite; an intangible feeling of everything being just as it should be.

"My path will not be cracked by the world, but be tempered by it. And neither will those whom I choose to protect. I shall not allow it." The mantra, extended since his adventures inside the subverted Jade-Sky gate, seemed to flow easier through his mind in that moment. Kite was the protector, his barriers the expression of his power that helped him live that very ideal. Even with Peony's help, he would not be the horde-slayer of legends. But what he was now… Felt right.

So Kite let that moment extend as he found an odd kind of harmony in the violence. The undead kept coming at him, but they also turned their killing intents towards the floating Amica as they leapt towards her or launched cascades of bone shrapnel. Every such attempt was thwarted though, be it through Amica's own powers or discs for force that appeared to block the attacks while absorbing their mana.

It was only when the hulking flesh monstrosity of the essence-user came crashing down on top of the barge that the moment of resonance was broken, although Kite assumed that to be true for the concentration of everyone involved as the living barge splintered and broke beneath the great force.

Crates were ripped from their fastenings, some breaking open to reveal stacks of more boxes and bags inside that Kite suspected were other kinds of dimensional storages, but the unholy ferryman seemed to care more about tearing free from River's chains than any of his no doubt precious cargo as he thrashed with thick limbs and his long, flaming blade.

While this efficiently freed up Glint from contending with the skeletal vessel, it also scattered the small battlefield and the rhythm Kite had found as they were all thrown off the barge. Kite himself easily stepped up into the air, but the cargo dropping into the streaming river was a problem as they had no idea what the bags contained other than that the Crows had discerned it to be something dangerous.

"Little beauty, would you please?" Kite asked through their mental link, Glint disengaging a moment later as the celestial carp started focusing on retrieving the cargo through water manipulation while Kite made a charge through the air above the rapids to re-engage a trio of undead who had emerged from the waters.

Leading with Immutable Echo, a mighty swing ended one of the more broken ones as Potential of Stolen Power caused the spatial tears of Void-Sunders-Firmament to expand in unfurling devastation as they consumed all available charges of Spiritual Reprisal to bring about the end of the creature in a cascade of clattering pieces.

"What's that? One to my four?" Amica called cheerfully as she floated nearby while using one of the undead to bat the others back into the waters of the stream.

"What can I say? Ceding the killing stage to my companions seems only courteous, with you being an honored visitor and all," Kite quipped in return as he kept battering down the other two with methodical strikes and blocks.

"And yet you let that woman have the big one."

"Don't people say that size does not matter?"

"Nobody in their right mind says that, Kite," Amica drolled in return before falling silent for a moment of focus as her aura surged along with her mana. Several popping sounds followed before the insides of her impromptu skeletal bludgeon came splattering down on the rocks of the riverbank as the rest of its carapace was ripped into several pieces.

"But she does seem to be able to handle it. Her faith might be despicable, but you can't fault her guts."

"I can hear you, lashed one!" River called flatly from where she was running along her chains before a graceful vault created another loop which neatly dropped in place around another arm of the fleshy giant.

"That was kind of the point, crazy!" Amica called back, throwing another of the undead in River's direction although its trajectory gave away that it was clearly meant to further distract the fleshy giant as the skeletal minion crashed into its face in a splash of putrid fluids. This time, Kite let the pair be since their barbs didn't seem to impact their fighting or judgment.

Besides, it was also a bit amusing to see how Amica seemed to be able to tease out some more responses from River than most others, a hint of annoyance having broken through the priestess' voice just now. It was not long after that that the giant thrashing in the water met his end. His sword suddenly surged with power and as the flames intensified with toxic vapors it sped towards River who had just been momentarily caught in a huge fist.

This was also when Kite felt that Pain's acolyte would be forced to accept at least a little assistance, having already sent a projected attack towards the oversized sword. While the single Pattern-Shattering Counter was not enough to dispel both the attack and the conjured sword in one go, the sudden loss of the special attack made the blade stop dead against the barrier which also appeared in its path.

This momentary halt was all River needed to shift out of the grasping hand while looping a final length of chain around it before activating her execution power without delay. The loud, keening whine that followed was clearly heard even above both the roar of the rapids as well as the agonized cries of the essence-user. But as with so many others of River's opponents, those cries ended when her chains finished sawing through his body from multiple jagged angles.

With most of the undead also handled by now, this left the four remaining as mere cleanup for the three adventurers and familiars who had now thoroughly gotten their momentum going, and the intensity and violence of the fight was soon replaced with the odd feeling of calm cleanup once they had verified that no more dangers seemed to be lurking in the surrounding forested mountains.

"So, want to take a look at what they were so keen on smuggling in here? Or will the director be cross with us if we peek?" Amica asked once she finished helping Glint to fish the last of the cargo and remnants of their foes out of the waters.

"I don't think Director Temren will mind. Might as well know our foes now rather than later," Kite reasoned.

"But be careful. What little information we got seemed to indicate that it might be dangerous. And on another note… I recognize these undead. And I suspect you do as well, River."

"Yes. The same as brought forth by the Collector of Anima and her ilk. Perhaps her congregation from the church of Undeath have been contracted yet again? Or perhaps mere happenstance," River agreed.

"A shame that she still lives after fleeing from the field of battle up north." Kite had only heard stories of the celestine priestess of Undeath and her mostly spiritual minions who had made up part of the forces of the fallen sect before being driven off by Rupert Versis in the final push of that conflict. But he had to agree with River's thoughts in that their presence in the kingdom again was probably no coincidence.

"Perhaps they had ties to the church of Discord all along, even though the fallen sect was unaware? I have wondered how they managed to contract so many powerful mercenaries even though they remained hidden," Kite mused, but any further thoughts were interrupted as Amica called to them.

"Oh… Damn, that's some nasty stuff. Come, look." Kite and River soon found themselves joining the telekineticist in producing quite the variety of phials, powders and pills from one of the crates that all had a common denominator; they either were - or would help make and disperse - poisons and toxins. And quite potent ones too.

"So much…" Kite murmured, concerned while Glint shot downstream at a mental command to try and sniff out any potential spillage that might have been carried downriver, the high potency meaning that many villages and the like downstream might otherwise have been in for quite a bad time. Following the stream, Kite gazed back towards the east in the direction of the capital, imagining the many preparations for the upcoming summer's Grand Proving that had already started even though it was still just fall.

"If this shipment was indeed meant for the capital, then someone means to kill people. Quite a lot of powerful ones at that. But who?"

"And why?" Amica continued.

"Your people aren't that many, right?" In that, Kite had to agree. He doubted their guild was the sole target here, as their addition had not been until relatively recently. But at least they had managed to stop this one.

"We'll just have to continue to drag what we can into the light," he eventually said, looking to his two companions.

"Hopefully, it will be enough."

"Huh. The first snow comes early this year," Dragonfly mused, catching one of the snowflakes on her palm.

"Hopefully it is a good omen, even if a certain dear husband of mine wasn't here to see it."

"B-but Teacher, I'm sure that Senior Brother Kite didn't mean to-" Sprite, who stood at her teacher's side, began before Dragonfly silenced her with a gentle pat of her head.

"I know, dear student of mine. I know. His contracts with Gauntlet tend to get complicated. And he's doing good work. It's just that this… This is quite the sight." The pair stood looking up at the finished building that would soon be inaugurated as Serenity's Nest Orphanage.

It was a sizeable wooden structure that sprawled across a newly cleared section of land adjacent to the family's compound, containing dormitories, a dining hall, a shrine, a lecture hall and all the other things needed for the forty-something children that would be housed there along with the staff who were all part of Fertility's clergy.

The building was surrounded by an expansive walled yard that would leave plenty of space for the small ones to find adventure and mischief, where the walls and their arrays were for their safety rather than any confinement as there was always the risk of monsters drawing near before one of the local silvers had the chance to intervene. The buildings had the crisp feel of something not yet put into use, without the worn familiarity which would arrive in time as the structure went from an empty shell to a home.

And as the first snow was currently causing its tiled roofs to gently transition into pristine white, Dragonfly couldn't help but feel that they had done something good here.

"When will they all arrive?" Sprite asked, not quite sharing in her Teacher's emotional moment but having enough sense to keep her tone respectful.

"After the turn of the year. Raven will turn six first. And from the missives, it even sounds like our offers for other settlers have been accepted, so we can expect more people to arrive before spring. These lands should become more lively soon. And honestly… I can't wait."